This is the first
Oracle Linux 7 ISO to include UEK Release 4 (UEK R4). Please note that new
installations of Oracle Linux 7 Update 3 will install and boot the UEK R4
kernel by default. However, updates to existing Oracle Linux 7 environments
require the user to explicitly install UEK R4 and will not automatically
replace existing UEK R3 kernels.

Kernel Support with
Oracle Linux 7 Update 3

The Oracle Linux 7
Update 3 ISO includes and installs two sets of kernel packages: Unbreakable
Enterprise Kernel (UEK) and Red Hat Compatible Kernel (RHCK). The
installation process configures the system to boot with UEK as the default
kernel, and configures RHCK as an alternate kernel.

Oracle Linux 7
Update 3 continues to support, but does not ship with, the latest UEK R3u7
and later.

Application
Compatibility

Oracle Linux
maintains user space compatibility with Red Hat Enterprise Linux, which is
independent of the kernel version that underlies the operating system.
Existing applications in user space will continue to run unmodified on Oracle
Linux 7 Update 3 with UEK R4 and no re-certifications are needed for
applications already certified with RHEL 7 or Oracle Linux 7.

Notable in Oracle
Linux 7 Update 3:

•
UEFI Secure Boot Support - This update allows you to install and use Oracle
Linux 7 on systems that have enabled UEFI Secure Boot, which is fully
supported on Oracle Linux 7 Update 3.

Oracle Linux can be downloaded,
used and distributed free of charge and all updates
and errata are freely available. For support,
you decide which of your systems require a support subscription. This makes
Oracle Linux an ideal choice for your development, testing and production
systems. You decide which support coverage is the best for each of your
systems individually, while keeping all of your systems up-to-date and
secure. For customers with Oracle Linux Premier Support, you also receive
access to zero-downtime kernel updates using Oracle
Ksplice and support for Oracle
OpenStack for Oracle Linux.